This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
[Hook - 2x]
This is my wooooooorld
Z-Ro, king of the ghettoooooo
[Z-Ro]
Once upon a time, not long ago
There was a hustling motherfucker, with a cold ass flow
Everytime he hit the studio, his beeper go off
He left the beef to get his cheese, by selling people that raw
With a pistol on his right side, and one in his back
I-10 again and again, from running that crack
Girlfriend kept complaining, cause he never at home
So he told her deal with it bitch, or get the fuck on
It was money over bitches, on his mind
Plus all of his partnas, thought that he would never shine
The number be 15 and 5, up in the kitchen
He could do it straight up, or he could do it with a whipping
But then came a drought, and then he put his first album out
Decided to do it full time, cause record stores kept selling out
Still in the game, cocaine on top of the brain
From the studio to the streets, Z-Ro is everything
[Hook - 2x]
[Z-Ro]
King of the ghetto, I'm sitting on my throne
Got a red light, sitting on my chrome
Ridgemont Texas, representing
With a taper fade, sitting on my dome
I mash niggaz, and I trash niggaz
When it come down, to the cash nigga
Beat that ass, in a flash nigga
Pistol play, and I'ma blast nigga
Gangstafied, from Goderhead
All day long, I chase my bread
But on the low, I don't fuck with FED's
Cause a snitch nigga, get dressed in red
Shut up bitch, she look so lie
But they don't know, she'll take your life
Not giving a fuck, or get fucked up
And end up dead, with your dick in the sky
Go my way, we gon have fun
Instead of happiness, we have done
About our business, corrupting our kidneys
All that codeine, weed and drugs
I'm leaning over, but still a soldier
Pimp my pen, like I'm suppose to
Nothing but the finest, light green doja
Got it from see-Note, from the Clover
Animal thug, I thug for life
So I ain't going, to the club tonight
Block is bleeding, I'm here for the eating
And supervising, my funds tonight
I scuffle and hustle, on my grind
No matter the weather, no matter the time
Roll out the red carpet for Z-Ro, this world is mine
[Hook - 2x]
[Z-Ro]
Who that bumping, who that beefing
Hope you brought something, to put your chief in
Interrupting me, while I'm reefer chiefing
I'm a gangsta, not Erkle Steven
Cause I don't laugh, and I don't play
And no, is something that I don't say
I don't give a motherfuck, about your day
Hoe, get the fuck out of my way
I'm lean as fuck, and don't like nobody
My style of rap, is I'm like nobody
I let off fo' shots, and hit fo' bodies
OG with it, like Amas Rodney
Still in the game, as a MVP
Dealing with haters, that envy me
Fuck fabricated, and commercializing
I'ma bring my block, to MTV
Show love, and do all I can
For all my people, and all my fans
But motherfuckers, be hating me
For the life of me, I can't understand
Cause I'm cool as hell, till a hater get bold
Step out of line, fuck around get stoled
I must be, their motherfucking issue
Cause all these niggaz, getting drove
Up a lot, like a Volkswagon
I get a commission, for toe tagging
A slim killa, with a wide body
Polo top, and Polo sagging
I live my life, like I don't care
But every night, I be deep in prayer
Then I get off, my knees
And hustle, straight like that there
[Hook - 2x]
This is my wooooooorld
Z-Ro, king of the ghettoooooo
[Z-Ro]
Once upon a time, not long ago
There was a hustling motherfucker, with a cold ass flow
Everytime he hit the studio, his beeper go off
He left the beef to get his cheese, by selling people that raw
With a pistol on his right side, and one in his back
I-10 again and again, from running that crack
Girlfriend kept complaining, cause he never at home
So he told her deal with it bitch, or get the fuck on
It was money over bitches, on his mind
Plus all of his partnas, thought that he would never shine
The number be 15 and 5, up in the kitchen
He could do it straight up, or he could do it with a whipping
But then came a drought, and then he put his first album out
Decided to do it full time, cause record stores kept selling out
Still in the game, cocaine on top of the brain
From the studio to the streets, Z-Ro is everything
[Hook - 2x]
[Z-Ro]
King of the ghetto, I'm sitting on my throne
Got a red light, sitting on my chrome
Ridgemont Texas, representing
With a taper fade, sitting on my dome
I mash niggaz, and I trash niggaz
When it come down, to the cash nigga
Beat that ass, in a flash nigga
Pistol play, and I'ma blast nigga
Gangstafied, from Goderhead
All day long, I chase my bread
But on the low, I don't fuck with FED's
Cause a snitch nigga, get dressed in red
Shut up bitch, she look so lie
But they don't know, she'll take your life
Not giving a fuck, or get fucked up
And end up dead, with your dick in the sky
Go my way, we gon have fun
Instead of happiness, we have done
About our business, corrupting our kidneys
All that codeine, weed and drugs
I'm leaning over, but still a soldier
Pimp my pen, like I'm suppose to
Nothing but the finest, light green doja
Got it from see-Note, from the Clover
Animal thug, I thug for life
So I ain't going, to the club tonight
Block is bleeding, I'm here for the eating
And supervising, my funds tonight
I scuffle and hustle, on my grind
No matter the weather, no matter the time
Roll out the red carpet for Z-Ro, this world is mine
[Hook - 2x]
[Z-Ro]
Who that bumping, who that beefing
Hope you brought something, to put your chief in
Interrupting me, while I'm reefer chiefing
I'm a gangsta, not Erkle Steven
Cause I don't laugh, and I don't play
And no, is something that I don't say
I don't give a motherfuck, about your day
Hoe, get the fuck out of my way
I'm lean as fuck, and don't like nobody
My style of rap, is I'm like nobody
I let off fo' shots, and hit fo' bodies
OG with it, like Amas Rodney
Still in the game, as a MVP
Dealing with haters, that envy me
Fuck fabricated, and commercializing
I'ma bring my block, to MTV
Show love, and do all I can
For all my people, and all my fans
But motherfuckers, be hating me
For the life of me, I can't understand
Cause I'm cool as hell, till a hater get bold
Step out of line, fuck around get stoled
I must be, their motherfucking issue
Cause all these niggaz, getting drove
Up a lot, like a Volkswagon
I get a commission, for toe tagging
A slim killa, with a wide body
Polo top, and Polo sagging
I live my life, like I don't care
But every night, I be deep in prayer
Then I get off, my knees
And hustle, straight like that there
[Hook - 2x]
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
King of the Ghetto Lyrics as written by Mike Dean Joseph Wayne Mcvey
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.